Women and Equalities Committee again pushes for gender self-ID

The Women and Equalities Committee is once again proposing that the process for changing legal sex is made dramatically easier.

The Committee, which made very similar proposals in 2016, issued a report criticising the Government’s response to the consultation on changing the Gender Recognition Act last year. After two years of deliberation, the Government opted to reduce the administration fee for changing legal sex to £5 and announced it had launched three new gender identity clinics.

Not satisfied, the Committee launched an enquiry, claiming that “transgender people were led to believe that the legal gender recognition process might be updated to become streamlined and de-medicalised”, but that this had not happened.

Non-binary

In its report, the Committee said the requirement for people to have lived as if a member of the opposite sex for two years should be scrapped “immediately”, claiming this “entrenches outdated gender stereotypes”.

It also demanded the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria be removed, “moving the process closer to a system of self-declaration” and for proposals to allow for legal recognition of people who identify as ‘non-binary’ – neither male nor female  –  to be “brought forward during this parliament”.

However, it agreed with the Government that the process of changing legal sex should be reserved for those aged 18 and over.

Marriages annulled

The Committee has recommended removing the requirement for people wishing to ‘change sex’ to obtain spousal consent if they are married. This was despite recognising that for some, a spouse’s desire to transition can “fundamentally change the nature of the relationship and the marriage contract”.

 it is impossible to change sex

Instead, it proposes that the husband or wife should simply be informed that the process is taking place, and be given the option to annul the marriage.

However, it said that if the spouse does not respond, the marriage should be annulled automatically at the same time as the Gender Recognition Certificate is issued.

‘Cruel’

Ciarán Kelly, The Christian Institute’s Deputy Director for Communications, said: “This Committee has pushed for a ‘sex swap’ free-for-all for years. But the reality is that it is impossible to change sex. Women in particular will not thank these MPs for empowering those who want to do away with single-sex spaces.

“And the idea that after years living as husband and wife, and with no consultation, someone could be told that their marriage has never existed, is desperately cruel.

“There seems to be no consideration, and certainly no compassion, for a spouse faced by such a bombshell.”